County, Graham, Mebane officials meet

Published: Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at 05:16 PM.

Russell said the proposed site is moderately sloped and could be developed for future needs. There are about 30 private property owners within the proposed economic development site.

Mebane city councilwoman Jill Auditori asked if private property owners near the site had showed support for the project. Williams said most of the private property owners he had spoken to about the project favored the site’s development, but there were a few with reservations.

Williams said there were going to be no demands on private property owners to participate.

“It’s their land not ours,” Williams said.

The site of projects will be annexed into the corporate limits of the cities as agreed between Mebane and Graham and will be subject to property taxes in Alamance County and the annexing city.

The final interlocal agreement, if approved, would set guidelines on how water and sewer lines would be installed and how future incentive agreements would be paid by the parties. Economic incentive costs would be divided equally between Graham, Mebane and Alamance County.

The property taxes would be placed into a pool and distributed equally between the three parties.

Officials from Graham, Mebane, and Alamance County agreed on Tuesday to move forward with developing a memorandum of understanding on how to best provide industrial infrastructure for a large tract of land in the Hawfields community.

A joint meeting was held at Alamance Community College to discuss the plan’s framework. Over the next 90 days an interlocal agreement will be finalized and presented to the Alamance County Board of Commissioners, Mebane City Council, and Graham City Council for approval.

The proposed 1,425-acre site includes property south of Cherry Lane and I-40/85, north of NC 119, and east of Gov. Scott Farm Road.

Alamance County Area Chamber of Commerce President Mac Williams said during the meeting the site would be used to attract new business.

“We will be ready for the opportunity that might come along,” Williams said.

Darrell Russell, of Alley Williams Carmen and King, discussed the property’s advantageous position for future development. Graham’s pumping station at Cherry Lane is one of several stations that would be able to provide water service to the site.

Water and sewer service to the area will be jointly provided by Graham and Mebane with the billing being made by the annexing city utilizing inside rates. Revenues from this service would be equally divided between Graham and Mebane.

Russell said the proposed site is moderately sloped and could be developed for future needs. There are about 30 private property owners within the proposed economic development site.

Mebane city councilwoman Jill Auditori asked if private property owners near the site had showed support for the project. Williams said most of the private property owners he had spoken to about the project favored the site’s development, but there were a few with reservations.

Williams said there were going to be no demands on private property owners to participate.

“It’s their land not ours,” Williams said.

The site of projects will be annexed into the corporate limits of the cities as agreed between Mebane and Graham and will be subject to property taxes in Alamance County and the annexing city.

The final interlocal agreement, if approved, would set guidelines on how water and sewer lines would be installed and how future incentive agreements would be paid by the parties. Economic incentive costs would be divided equally between Graham, Mebane and Alamance County.

The property taxes would be placed into a pool and distributed equally between the three parties.

Mebane city councilwoman Patty Philipps said the final agreement should be designed to protect the property owners and the governmental bodies. Philipps said she believed moving forward with the site’s infrastructure development was the right choice.

The proposed site’s boundary lines are flexible, said attorney Charles Bateman who represents Mebane. The lines should be established by January but could later be altered if necessary to include more or less land.

For years, Williams said, local officials have realized the site’s potential but haven’t moved forward to make it a viable site for development. Williams said property just north of the proposed site had been eyed by auto manufacturers including Mercedes Benz in the 1990s but bringing new business there never materialized due to lack of infrastructure.

During the joint meeting, N.C. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Dale Carroll delivered a video message about the proposed agreement. He said the state would assist local officials if they needed help with developing the site for prospective companies. Carroll provided examples in the state where interlocal agreements were established to boost economic growth.

Triangle North was made possible through an interlocal agreement with Franklin, Vance, Warren, and Granville counties. Carroll said Triangle North includes four separate industrial parks within the four county region.

Williams said during the past decade communities have worked to develop ready made industrial sites to attract new business. Developing the Hawfields site would reduce the time and uncertainty felt by companies looking to move to Alamance County, Williams said.